Food

When it gets cold in Hanoi, banh gio cravings arise

Once the teaspoon cuts into the cake, the filling of minced pork, wood ear mushrooms and shallots is uncovered and it can be eaten with the covering-filling proportion best left to individual preferences. (Source: VNA)

Among the myriad Vietnamese dishes made with rice,
be it main courses, side-dishes or snacks that are meals in themselves, the
softest gluey texture belongs to the banh gio (rice dough dumpling
with minced pork and wood ear mushrooms inside).

As both main versions of the New Year celebrated in the country, based on
Gregorian and Lunar calendars, approach, many Vietnamese citizens begin,
mentally and actually, rubbing their hands in anticipation of treating
themselves to snacks that seem to be at their tastiest best in winter.

The last mentioned snack, the banh gio, is favoured as a breakfast dish
and as an after-school supper dish for children.

A banh gio served hot stands alongside a bowl of steaming hot,
aromatic pho as dishes of choice on a misty, chilly morning in the
capital city.

To appreciate its lure, imagine you are tucking yourself into a warm
blanket, thinking it is too cold to go out for food. It is at this time that
you hear the itinerant banh gio vendor shouting out his ware. Just
the thought of biting into the hot juicy cake gets you out of bed in a jiffy,
sending a small prayer of gratitude for the vendor appearing just at that
moment.

And at just 15,000 to 30,000 VND (70 USD cents to 1.4 USD) each, a banh
gio offers great value for money.

The pyramid-shaped rice dough dumpling is wrapped in layers of banana leaves.
Once the leaves have been removed to reveal the translucent dumpling, expert
eaters just bite into it cupping the leaves in their hands, but spreading the
leaves out and using a teaspoon is a far “safer” option in terms of avoiding a
mess.

Once the teaspoon cuts into the cake, the
filling of minced pork, wood ear mushrooms and shallots is uncovered and it can
be eaten with the covering-filling proportion best left to individual
preferences.

Inside the mouth, it seems to melt on the tongue, with the soft exterior and
well-cooked filling making the whole cake tender and aromatic.

Eating the good rice dough, one feels like it melts in their tip of the tongue.
The filling which features both fat and lean minced pork and wood ear, is often
over cooked, therefore, it is very tender, soft and aromatic.

Banh gio is sometimes served with cha, gio (Vietnamese sausage),
grilled pork, chilli sauce and cucumber. In some places, banh gio is
dipped in soya sauce before it is eaten.

While the cake is a popular dish in Hanoi, it is particularly favoured by
students, for whom it is a tasty, affordable snack. As a result, many food
stalls near schools sell this delicacy. It is also sold in most markets, and on
many streets in Hanoi. As it is served as breakfast or supper, some
eateries offering this dish only open in the morning or late afternoon.

Madam Luy’s banh gio seems to be a favourite among Hanoians. The
modest eatery on a corner of Tran Xuan Soan street near the Hom market is
always filled with customers. The texture of rice dough is soft and smooth like
jelly and the gio cha served with the cake is also highlight of the treat.

“I usually buy two cakes every time I come here. It’s still hot when I open
them at home. The cake is always fresh and sells out very quickly. It has a
very enticing smell and is not dry or too condense,” said 25-year-old Pham Thu
Cuc.

“Her eatery sells mostly gio and cha (Vietnamese sausage) and is famous
for this food yet banh gio is truly a highlight also,” said Cuc.

The Dong Cac street is also famous for banh gio. The highlight of the cake
served in this street lies in the accompanying dish – tasty fried sausage and
grilled pork. It costs about 30,000 VND for a big portion of banh gio served
with Vietnamese sausage, grilled pork and cucumber.

Thuy Khue street is also well known for its big sized banh gio, nearly
double compared to those served in other eateries. Nguyen Thi Nha, a banh
gio shop owner on the street sells 500 to 600 cakes a day.

One avid customer, Hoang Phuong, 21, said: “Whenever the weather gets cold, I
start missing banh gio. It reminds of my days as a high school student,
when my friends and I would gather in small eateries to enjoy this cake, almost
every late afternoon in winter.” - VNA